


To Make Friends Takes Little Steps

by FawnoftheWoods



Series: Not Alone Anymore [9]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Gen, Protective Hulk, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 20:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12712260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawnoftheWoods/pseuds/FawnoftheWoods
Summary: Both Hulk and Bruce are trying to connect with the Avengers.  With each little step in that direction they take, they find more reasons to smile. Could stand alone





	To Make Friends Takes Little Steps

The next call out was to southern France.  Tony was invaluable on this one as the city was being overrun by little metal insects.  It had been an AI experiment, a pet or something.  It hadn’t been entirely successful.

Tony was sitting on the Quinjet with Clint as he tried to hack the central server of these things.  Meanwhile the other four were on the ground trying to keep everyone un-injured.  The things weren’t really causing damage on their own.  Instead they seemed to find people at random and attach themselves to them.  When the person tried to get away, the metal limbs would sprout metal claws to hold on.  They didn’t do anything else, they just didn’t want to let go.

Needless to say people were panicking.

Natasha was doing great.  She had paired up with Hulk early on in this battle and they had a strategy that seemed to work.  Natasha would grab and toss the thing to Hulk, who would grab them rather harshly and drop the resultant metal scrap, and sometimes moving pieces, into a “bucket”.  He had created said bucket out of an abandoned empty semi-trailer.  

“Guys, they are locking onto people based on their electrical signature.  Like they are looking for their “owner”.”  Tony’s explanation did little to ease the battle.  Thor tried electrocuting them, with little luck.  He couldn’t hit many of them at once, they were too small and fast.  Captain America was doing little better until he discovered he could scoop them up on his shield.  Then he could punch them down, which was semi-effective.  Still all these strategies were one at a time and this was going to take forever.

“Guys I can access them-“  “Then do it!”  Captain exasperated yell made them all smile.  “ _ after _ I find the top dog.  We need to locate their leader so I can over-ride their programming.”  Steve huffed as Natasha responded to that one.

“Well I’m open to any suggestions!”  She ducked as another jumped at her.  Apparently she had been deemed a threat, because they were actively attacking her now.  She heard a roar of frustration from her current fighting partner and looked over to see that the things had given up in trying to break Hulks skin, they had started wrapping cables around the big guy.  Tossing her most recent acquisition his way, she made her way towards him, using her “Stark-enhanced” blades to slice away the cables.  

“I got in.”  Tony’s voice was a welcome reprieve as Steve knocked a few irritations off Thor.  “Turn them off!”  

Tony growled.   “I can’t seem to give that command!”  

They all heard Clint’s response.  “Well do something!”  

“I can detonate them.”  

Natasha didn’t like the sound of that, as she finished freeing Hulk.  Neither apparently did Steve.   “We are currently surrounded by them!”  

Tony snapped back at their leader.  “I can’t stop them any other way, they don’t  _ have _ a damn off switch!”   Thor could hear the stress as their resident computer genius tried to find another alternative to help.

“How big will the blast be, Shield-brother?”  

“Not very, but there are a lot of them.  It shouldn’t take down any buildings, but I don’t think it’ll be good for Cap or Widow.”  

Captain America took a moment to assess the situation as he heard Hulk roar in frustration.   “Widow, get to cover.  Tony, countdown to detonation!”  He made his way towards Thor, knowing the godling could handle the explosion better than he.

“Roger that, Captain.  Countdown in 10 seconds.”  

Natasha’s agreement sounded in his ear as Tony began the countdown.  He was barely 10 yards from Thor when he heard Widow’s cry in pain.  

“Widow?”

 He didn’t have time to listen for an answer before Thor leaped his way, covering them both in his cape as their world rocked a bit.  Captain America winced at the stone digging into his back, but Thor had a hand behind his head, so he was uninjured.

000

Widow started heading for a basement she had seen down the road when several of the insects caught her legs in the thin steel cables.  Crying out as she fell hard on the concrete, she heard her teammates call for her as Tony’s countdown hit zero.  She covered her head as best she could, and waited.

A few moments later, when she dared to look up, all she saw was an expanse of green skin.  Hulk was crouched over her, as he had during a lab explosion some weeks before.  Ignoring the teammates clamoring for reassurance she was okay, she looked up at him.

“You saved me Big Guy.”  

Hulk huffed at her in what she was learning was agreement.  She reached up and set her hand on his cheek.

“Little Red free Hulk.  Hulk no like capture.”  

Widow blinked at him, remembering all the times Bruce had been caged and the Hulk had freed him.  “I don’t like being caged either Hulk.  Thank you for saving me.”  

Hulk seemed to regard her strangely.   “Little Red thank Hulk?”  Widow nodded, seeing the quinjet land next to them.  She had her comm on.  

Clint was at her side quickly as possible.  Tony stopped at Hulk’s side as the giant sat.  Tony patted his shoulder,  “Good job Big Guy!”  

Hulk grinned at Tony.   “Little Red thank Hulk.”  Tony smiled broadly as Hulk informed him of this development.  “Metal Man good?”  Tony leaned against him, this time leaving his elbow on the green shoulder.  It was strangely reminiscent of what he would do to Bruce in their kitchen.

“I’m good.  Wasn’t even in the battle this time.”  Captain America and Thor came into sight at this point, Clint had been guiding them this way as he freed Natasha’s ankles.

“Metal Man in fight.  Metal Man finish fight.  Make metal bugs go boom.”  

Tony grinned at that.   “Yup, I did do that didn’t I?  How that Cap?  I didn’t even wear my suit and I stopped them!”  Captain America winced at the reminder of their first conversation on the helicarrier.  Suddenly Hulk stood up and bounded away.  He didn’t go far, and wasn’t gone long.  They could all hear him quite clearly.

He returned with the semi-trailer and set it down in front of Tony.  They all, save Thor, levitated off the ground as he dropped it. 

“Hulk give to Metal Man.”  

Tony stared at the semi truck in shocked confusion.  Steve saw Natasha duck to hide a smile as he and Thor chuckled.  Clint just laughed right out as Tony stared at it.

“Errr. Thanks Big Guy.”  

Hulk bent over and gripped Tony under his arms.  The whole team, save Tony, tensed at this.  Hulk was friendlier, but he was still big and strong.  They didn’t have to worry though, Hulk was very gentle as he lifted Tony and set him in the trailer-turned-bucket with all the scrapped metal insects.  The others heard Tony on their comms.  “Hey guys, these didn’t detonate, but they don’t appear to be moving either.  Can I keep some of them?”  Captain rolled his eyes as he turned away to report to Fury while Natasha argued with the crazy genius.

Hulk climbed in the trailer after Tony, picking him back up to make room.  “Metal Man like metal bug bits?”  Tony smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, you did good Big Guy.”  Hulk nodded and slowly, Tony noticing the green giant shrinking.  “See you later Big Guy.”  Hulk rumbled as his eyes closed and a second later, Tony was cradling Bruce as he tried to breathe through the transformation.

“Easy, Bruce.  We’re safe.”  Tony was the one around most often after a transformation these days.  Bruce buried his face in Tony’s shirt, letting the familiar smell help him hide the pain of his muscles and bones shifting.  Slowly he looked around.  He had returned to some very strange sights in his past.  Once, memorably, he was surrounded by a dozen female elders bathing.  They were very appreciative and admiring of his…ern..assets.

This time, he was in a metal box surrounded by little metal pieces, it looked like a scrap yard.  It also looked like a cage and he felt some panic filter in, feeling trapped.  “Where are we?”

Tony snorted.  “Believe it or not, we’re still in Brignoles, about five blocks from the town’s center.”  Bruce looked around in confusion.  “Hulk gave this to me as a present.”

Bruce gave him a flat look of disbelief.  “What?”  Tony grinning and gestured.

“Yeah, he said it was for me.  He collected them and stored them in here for me.  You and I can use this to figure out what the blazes was going on and track down the idiots before we get to repeat this battle!”  Bruce could practically here an excited voice under Tony’s energetic drawl squeak, “ _ Play with me?” _

He grinned.  “Ooooookay.  How do we get out?”

“I was about to ask if you wanted a lift.”  They looked up to see Clint a good 10 feet above them on the lip of the trailer with a touch of humor on his lips.  Tony waved at him and he started lowering a knotted rope for them to climb.  Bruce regarded it skeptically, not certain his muscles were up to the challenge.  Tony just lifted him to his feet and the two of them gingerly made their way over.  

“Call down to Thor, we’ll attach ourselves and he can haul us both out of here at once!”  Clint chuckled and waved at them, hopping out of sight and calling to the godling.  Tony gingerly helped Bruce cross the landscape of metal scrap.  “I think Legolas forgets that my physical strength is largely in my suit.”  Bruce glanced at him, reading for the first time the sheer exhaustion in his stance.  Subtly he tried to take some more of his own weight, but his own legs were spaghetti noodles.

“Easy there sci bro.  Quit rocking the boat.”  

Bruce stopped immediately and laughed.

“I don’t know who’s more exhausted, thee or me.”  

Tony chuckled breathily.  “Sleep when we get home, Starsk.”  Bruce snorted.

“So I’m Starsky?”  

“Well, you do have the hair.” 

By the time Thor made it back the trailer the two genius’s were laughing hysterically as they tried to tie the rope around themselves.  He shook his head.  These two could act drunk without alcohol!  Still, hearing either withdrawn, defensive man laugh was cause for celebration and he smiled happily as he lifted the two out.


End file.
